. this is "world news." tonight, taking off. big news for everyone who owns a home. we learn how much your house would sell for today and how many buyers could be lining up at your door. wild swing in the weather. bundled up one day and then wearing shorts a couple of days later. sam champion on the whiplash an the threat of tornadoes in the news tonight. the blind side. remember that amazing story? tonight, we catch up with the real player and learn about a twist in the story on the eve of the super bowl. and the monster wave. how did this surfer conquer a record-breaking wave? he tells us what he did and what he was thinking on that heart-pounding ride.

good evening. here is the big news tonight and it affects every homeowner in america. we learned today home prices, which drive so much of the economy, rose more last year than any te since that housing bubble. prices surging to their highest point in six years. so, is now the time to sell? or will the value keep rising? abc's david muir here right now. david? >> reporter: big questions tonight, diane. and the real estate experts i talked to cede said if the value of your home is completely recovered from the recession, then it might be a great time to sell. not a lot on the market, to a seller's dream. but even if you are not going to sell, economists say these housing numbers tonight are good news for you, too. this spike in home prices unthinkable just two years ago. economists who study prices across 20 american cities tonight revealing they see the biggest increase year to year in

more than six years. home values up 5.5%. barbara come ran founded the largest real estate company in new york. >> we haven't seen this in probably seven years. >> reporter: so, what has buyers lining up? those historically low interest rates, still at lows not seen since the early 1970s. >> hi, abc. >> reporter: we first met this family in ann arbor, michigan, when they bought their new home. the reason they went for it? >> it was a steal. >> reporter: ten months in a row now of housing prices going up. up most in phoenix, nearly 23%. this home in scottsdale, arizona. had it been listed a year ago, $275,000. she listed it now for $365,000, nearly $100,000 more than the value last year. also on the seller's side, there just aren't many houses out there. many americans who want to sell

simply won't yet. they need to wait for their home value to recover completely. many still underwater and their mortgage. >> listen, nobody wants to go to the closing table and pay the bank to get out of a house. everybody is waiting it out until the value of their home increases just a little bit more. >> reporter: they are going to wait for the value to come back. >> absolutely. wouldn't you? >> reporter: as they wait to sell, many builders are trying to keep up with demand. look at this image from florida. sorry, too late, sold. doug smith, a builder in virginia today, checking in with "world news." >> we sold 43 homes in the month of january. makes it the best january for us since 2005. >> reporter: in fact, his company, miller and smith, employed 150 people during the housing boom. then cut its staff by nearly half to 85 during the collapse. tonight, they tell us, they're back up to 115 employees. we loved hearing that. employees returning to the job there in virginia. and economists point out our homes are our biggest investm t

investment, so when the price goes up, it ups consumer confidence. the dow closing the highest in five years. >> tell me more about the buyers. why are you flooding the market right now? >> reporter: barbara saying the number one motivator, fear. they don't want to miss out. that is why they are bidding each other out. >> moving fast. okay, thank you, david. and now we move onto immigration in the news and a declaration from president obama, that it is time to take big steps to address the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in america tonight. abc's reena ninan now on what the president did today. >> reporter: they are america's newest citizens. more than 4,400, sworn in today in southern california. while in nevada -- >> the time is now. >> reporter: president obama unveiled his plan to get america's 11 million immigrants a big step closer to taking that oath. >> yes, they broke the rules. they crossed the border

illegally. but these 11 million men and women are now here. >> reporter: the president's proposal calls for a path to citizenship. >> a process that includes passing a background check, paying taxes, paying a penalty, learning english and then going to the back of the line behind all the folks who are trying to come here legally. >> reporter: and with that, a direct challenge to washington. >> and if congress is unable to move forward in a timely fashion, i will send up a bill based on my proposal and insist that they vote on it right away. >> reporter: listen again -- >> i will send up a bill -- >> reporter: the president is pledging to put his political muscle behind this. still, republicans insist tighter border security must happen before any movement on citiz citizenship. >> we've got very fundamental questions of lawfulness. do we have a system that will stop the continued flow of people into the country? >> reporter: the president today predicting this debate will become increasingly emotional.

but he says the time has come for those 11 million people to come out of the shadows. reena ninan, abc news, the white house. and a note now about the numbers that we're dealing with. out of 11 million undocumented adults, 35% have been here for 15 years or longer. the median age, by the way, of an undocumented adult immigrant is 36 years old. and between 50% and 75% pay federal, state and local taxes. and now we head overseas to egypt, the country that seems to be spiraling closer to the edge of a kind of political chaos. the stability of egypt is vital to the united states. but these images are sending a message to the world tonight that the new egyptian president may be losing some control. abc's lama hasan is there. lama? >> reporter: diane, this latest wave of violence is tearing up the country -- a country that, tonight, looks like it's on th

running battles. a violent barrage of rocks and tear gas. roads engulfed. clashes with police. last night, rioters smashing into this luxury five-star intercontinental hotel. tonight, the hotel tweeting out they are once again surrounded. the anger is all too familiar. but this is different and very frighteni frightening. egypt, the most populous arab country, is america's number one ally in the region. with its long-standing peace treaty with israel, egypt helps america with stability in a dangerous region and in the fight against terror. now, with these scenes, the head of the army is warning america's friend is on the verge of collapse. they tell us their new president mohamed morsi is acting like a dictator, like the one every day egyptians overthrew, just two years ago.

these are carpenters, tour guides and teachers and they believe if they don't rise up, their country will be turned into an islamic state. we are bracing for another violent night. many of the people we've spoken to here on the street say they won't let up until they get the freedoms and democracy they fought so hard for. diane? >> thank you so much, lama. now, we head over to china tonight, where you can see it once again, that smog, back. and, again, still beyond the ability to measure exactly how much hazardous material is in what the cry neez are breathing. and there was another staggering sight, infrastructure collapsed. watch. a whole complex of homes swallowed by a massive sink hole, 30 feet wide, triggered by construction on an underground subway station nearby. 300 people were evacuated. no one was injured. and, down under now to australia, where this was the strange scene on the beaches there.

sea foam billowing up at a level we've not seen before. entire beaches covered in it. spawned by a tropical cyclone that hit last week. the foam, a reminder of the fury of that cyclone. and back here at home, the latest surprises in this season of extreme weather. watch this. it's an ice skating rink in wisconsin last week, closed because the arctic air was too cold. but today, it was closed once again, this time, because the air is too warm and it's turned to slush. it's weather whiplash across this country from the great lakes and all the way across to the gulf. there are severe warnings out tonight, and abc's weather editor sam champion ittells us what to expect. >> reporter: january has been a weather whiplash from brutal cold to record heat and back again in a matter of days. in chicago, just four days ago, people were bundled up in the snow. today, they were in were in jogging shorts as temperatures hit a record of at least 63 degrees. way too slushy to skate in

millennium park, but just wait 24 hours, when the temperatures will drop again. >> i'm loving it. >> reporter: yesterday, there were two dozen record highs, some the warmest ever recorded in january. across the country, those giant swings in temperature causing big problems on the roads. way ahead of the usual spring pothole season. also way ahead of the spring season, the usual position of jet streams, boosting the power of tonight's storms. five states have tornado watches or warnings. just look at these clouds in dallas tonight. and winds blowing over this truck in missouri. and after weeks of these temperature turns, expect more change on the way. >> enjoy the day, because tomorrow it's just going to drop again. >> reporter: and this is on the east coast, as well. i was standing in this exact spot talking to you just a few days ago, it was 19 degrees. today, some 30 degrees warmer. let's concentrate on this front line that's ripping through the south tonight. these are going to be some powerful storms. they are breaking as we speak

right now. the line we're most concerned about, through louisiana, arkansas, i think a little bit of mississippi. some west tennessee, as well. not just potential for tornadoes to pop up until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning, but we know there will be straight line wind damage. this front is moving so quickly, diane. >> out in the elements again for us tonight. thank you so much, sam champion reporting in. and, in washington, the nation has its new secretary of state. john kerry was confirmed today by his senate colleagues by a vote of 94-3. he's expected to be sworn in and begin work later this week. and, of course, he walks into the shadow of the departing secretary of state, hillary clinton. who took to the stage at a farewell global town hall today, answering questions from around the world. and joking, she's ready to catch up, quote, on 20 years of sleep deprivation. "nightline" anchor cynthia mcfadden asked her y off. >> reporter: saturday morning -- >> yes.

>> reporter: what happens? >> well, i hope i get to sleep in. you know, i'm thinking about that, because it will be the first time in many years when i've got no office to go to, no schedule to keep, no work to do. that will probably last a few days and then i will be up and going with my new projects. >> and you can see all of hillary clinton's last interview as secretary of state, it is with cynthia mcfadden tonight on "nightline" at their new time, 12:35 a.m. eastern. and still ahead on "world news," remember sandra bullock and "the blind side?" we caught up with the real life player who is about to play in his first super bowl. why he may not even have the most amazing story on the field on sunday. and later here, what is it like to ride a record-breaking ten-story tall, 100-foot wave? much more say it? and how did he do it?

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the two brothers coaching on opposite sides on super bowl sunday, there's another incredible story on the gridiron. two of their best players, who aren't brothers by birth, but brothers in life. >> big mike. why were you going to the gym? >> because it's warm. >> reporter: michael oher's is the story made famous in the oscar winning film "the blind side." the son of abject poverty and a broken home who found football thanks to the kindness of strangers who took him in. >> never had one before. >> what, a room to yourself? >> a bed. >> reporter: today he's an offensive tackle for baltimore. >> leigh anne, she was the first one who ever told me she loved me. i mean, i had never heard that before. >> reporter: patrick willis was oher's teammate at ole miss and travelled the same difficult road to sunday's game. >> this is where the game of football all started. i couldn't afford to play pee-wee football. i didn't running water until i

was 8 years old. >> reporter: the 28-year-old linebacker for the 49ers is considered the best in the business today, and he escaped an abusive father in rural tennessee who beat him with pots and pans. both oher and willis were cared for, or adopted, by white families who had to explain themselves to the neighbors. >> i said, well, yeah, i mean, yeah, we can help him. and, of course, everybody at the time was like -- you don't have a clue what you're doing. >> reporter: the two have become lifelong friends, and outside practice tuesday, they told us how much they still truly love their adoptive parents, who'll be watching in joy from the sidelines. >> they've been there through the thick and thin, the good and bad, the crazy years. just to have them down here this weekend to enjoy this experience with me is truly a blessing. >> it's truly amazing, man, knowing where we came from and -- it's just -- it made us work a lot harder, knowing that -- not taking anything for granted. i never take anything for granted. >> reporter: no matter who wins the ring, they believe that greatness is not what they've

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new breeds this year. for the first time, tree walker coonhounds, which can actually climb trees. watch that guy go. and also contenders, russell terriers, reminding us of the other russell terrier who stole the show, uggie, from the movie "the artist." he will not compete, but he will cheer on some of his distant cousins. and he did it again. daredevil nik wallenda, who walked a high wire across niagra last june. well, today, he took a nine-minute stroll, 185 feet above a highway in his hometowns of sarasota, florida, 600 feet, no nets, no safety rope. and listen. >> it is windy. it's very windy. >> midway, he reminds us that nerves of steel are all relative. >> props to my great-grandfather carl wallenda. he would have stopped in the

middle of the cable and done a headstand. >> at the end, nik kneeled, pumped a fist, saying his secret is practice and prayer. and, why is the man in black number one again tonight? ♪ i feel into a burning ring of fire ♪ ♪ i went down down down ♪ and the flames went higher ♪ and it burns burns burns >> johnny cash, of course, and today the u.s. postal service announced that cash is their pick for a new stamp. it is the first in a series that will honor music legends, on sale later this year. and coming up next here, he is the master of big waves, but has he just surfed the largest one ever, ever? he'll tell you what scared him the most on a wave 100 feet tall. and chantix helped me quit. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support,

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and finally tonight, get ready for what seems to be the biggest wave ever surfed. as high as 100 feet. and the conquering hero is a 45-year-old man in a young athlete's game. so, how did he do it? abc's nick watt. >> reporter: yep, that tiny dot is garrett mcnamara. dwarfed by probably the biggest wave ever surfed by man. i just reached him by phone in portugal. can you explain to the likes of that moment in this wave? >> oh, you are just going so fast and it really, really similar to snowboarding down a giant mountain and you're just chattering and just flying down this bumpy, bumpy mountain.

your brain's getting rattled. your whole body is getting rattled. >> reporter: at the end of the ride, he was oh, so nearly smashed into the rocks. >> i can honestly say survival chances were very, very slim. >> reporter: and mcnamara, a 45-year old hawaiian, lucky to be living legend, might just have shattered his own world record. a little over 77 feet, set in 2011, also right here off the rugged coast of portugal. surfing at nearly 60 miles per hour, the ride took less than 30 seconds. potential record waves are measured using a surfer crouched on a board for scale. was this a new record? well, we won't know until the spring. that's when they announce the official measurements for the past year. and just for comparison, the surf here today in ventura, california, is only four or five feet high. so, what do these guys, good, solid surfers, what do they think of garrett mcnamara? >> you got to be out of your

mind. >> that wave is psycho. >> reporter: psycho because off of portugal, boiling brine barrels miles down a chasm the size of the grand canyon. do you think you are actually insane? >> you know what? i definitely got to be a little crazy, right? >> reporter: yes you do. oh yes you do. nick watt, abc news, ventura, california. >> but in a moment of sanity, garrett says he's glad he did it, but if he can help it, he does not plan ever to do it again. and we thank you for watching. we're always working for you at abcnews.com. and we'll see you right back here again tomorrow night. good night.

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